SAW

If you have nothing to hide, do you have nothing to fear?

Surveillance Awareness Week (SAW) 26 - 30 November 2007 at Queen's University.

Join The Surveillance Project for a week-long examination of our global surveillance society. Keep an eye out for lunchtime speakers, film screenings, and other special events all week long. Free and open to everyone.

Monday 26 November

12 - 1 pm: Why Watching Works: Surveillance in Daily Life
David Lyon, Director, The Surveillance Project;
Queen's Research Chair, Sociology; and Killam Fellow

Somehow, there's power in watching, but what is it? Whether literal watching (CCTV) or metaphorical watching (internet data trails) our daily lives are affected. Not only do our "private" spaces and activities become "public" -- we do things differently because we're watched. But does this mean that "they" have us in their grip? Not necessarily, but we may conform more, even as we continue to "make choices."

Chernoff Hall room 211

Tuesday 27 November

12 - 1 pm: Facebook and online surveillance: It could happen to you (and it probably does!)
featuring Daniel Trottier, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology and George Farrah, ITS
This talk will consider the ever-increasing forms of online surveillance that students routinely face. A brief description of the theoretical underpinnings of this phenomenon will be followed by an appraisal of the risks faced as well as the strategies one can adopt to prevent online surveillance.

Goodes Hall room 304
Free pizza!

7:00 pm: Film screening: The Lives of Others (2006; Directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck; Rated Restricted)
Introductory speaker: Clarke Mackey, Queen's Department of Film Studies

Etherington Hall

Wednesday 28 November

1:00 - 2:00 pm: Drills, Skills and Measured Breaks: Call centres, Organization and the Surveillance Society
Kirstie Ball, Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies, The Open University, UK

Modern business organizations are one of the main drivers of the surveillance society. Call centres are seen by many researchers as the epitome of the surveillance-driven organization, with every minute of the employee's day accounted for. This talk explores the organizational dynamics of the call centre, to reveal that all is not quite as it seems.

Goodes Hall room 302

2:30 - 4:00 pm: Privacy and Security: How is Queen's University Striking a Balance?
Panel discussion featuring David Patterson, Director of Campus Security;
Andrew Stevens, past president of the Society of Graduate and Professional Students;
George Farrah, ITS, and more.

McLaughlin room, JDUC

Thursday 29 November

11:30 - 12:30 pm: Surveillance in the Modern World: Watching Big Brother Expand
Kevin Haggerty, Associate Professor, Criminology and Sociology, University of Alberta;
Editor, Canadian Journal of Sociology

Western societies have embraced a host of new surveillance measures to make the lives of average citizens more transparent. How are we to understand the public acceptance of (or indifference towards) surveillance technologies that would have previously been condemned as startling invasions of privacy? Professor Kevin Haggerty will outline a provocative futuristic scenario to highlight some of the social processes that contribute to our shift towards a surveillance society.

Abramsky Hall room 2

7:00 pm: Film screening: Red Road (2006; Directed by Andrea Arnold; Rated Restricted)

Chernoff Hall room 117